Save the bees tell me about a swarm you saw

[MDStokes]

Did you know that bee swarms have a less then 20% chance of survival. If you see one give me a call and I will come get them and give them a home in which they will have a fighting chance. And in the future I will split the hives to create more local bees! Don't wait, generally you need to get them in the first three days.

Thanks,

Mike
707-922-4790

[silverstarrshine]

Mike,
I actually saw a small swarm of bees under a tree on the North East corner of the Cotati downtown square this evening. Thanks for caring!!
Blessings,
Abra

Did you know that bee swarms have a less then 20% chance of survival. If you see one give me a call and I will come get them and give them a home in which they will have a fighting chance. And in the future I will split the hives to create more local bees! Don't wait, generally you need to get them in the first three days.

Thanks,

Mike
707-922-4790

[2Bwacco]

Yes!! Do call, if Mike's unavailable seek out other names, the beekeeper clubs keep a list of folks that will FOR FREE come to relocate the swarm. This is probably accomplished by subduing the bees with smoke, locating the queen bee, placing her in a small containment box, placing that into a temporary hive box where her queen pheromone attracts the swarming bees to her. (Typically bees are also docile during the swarm since they have loaded up with honey for the trip.)

Don't be afraid of the bees, move carefully, trying not to thrash your arms/hands about.

Honeybee society is matriarchal: the worker bees are sterile females, have barbed stingers, if they sting, they die since it tears away the abdomen (taking poison sack and muscles to continue pumping the venom into the flesh - if you've been stung and see a small white speck, that is the poison sack - scrape away with fingernail, credit card - do not grasp with fingertips and pull (again stinger is barbed) since that will expel more venom from the sack.

If you've been stung, try to get away immediately since the stinging pheromone will stimulate other bees to sting too.

The drone bees (males - "haploid" product of an unfertilized egg) are larger than the worker bees, but do not have stingers, and do not know how to forage or feed themselves). In harsh winters, when hive honey supply is limited, the worker bees will kick the drones from the hive where they die.

In the spring such as now when the air is still, moist and warm, a young queen bee will venture to mate - the only time in her life. She will fly high into the sky and mate with multiple drone bees. After the drones mate, as I recall, they die.

The queen bee stores the sperm in a special organ in her abdomen. As she lays eggs, depending on the size of the brood cell (larger ones for males) she will either fertilize the egg or not. Worker bees are diploid, meaning they are the product of a fertilized egg.

hoping that as more is learned about honey bees we humans will offer greater assistance to them in their struggle to survive.

spraying of pesticides for elimination of any insects is harmful to the bees.

we rely on the bees for pollination of all of our foods!

[Garnette]

oh well i replied to another thread about bees before i saw this one. i have a swarm living in the crevice of an apple tree that seems at risk? here is one of the pictures taken last fall